Electric switch



E. B. REESE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLICATION man Au.14.191e.

ttor/Mu Snom/dot lill-ill z SHEETS-SHEET x.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

E. B. REI-ISE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I4. 1916.

1,332,574. Patented Mar. 2,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. y

INVENTOI? @fm/A@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. BEESE, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO SWABTZ ELECTRICCOMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification 'of Letters Patent.

Original application led August 14, 1916i, Serial No. 114,907. Dividedand this application led August 14,

1916. Serial No. 114,968.

To all 'whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. REEsE, a citizen of the United States,vresiding at Indianapolis, Marion county, and State of Indiana, haveinvented and discovered certain new 'and useful Improvements in ElectricSwitches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and its object is t0 provide aconstruction adapted to automatically control the supply of current fromdifferent sources of electrical energy and designed to provide a simpleform of mechanical balancing means for a predetermined electro-motiveforce, to combine in a single compact structure the elements of adifferential series'winding and a shunt winding responsive respectivelyto current and voltage values in the line and in one of said 'sourcesrespectively and including., also auxiliary switch elements controllinga prime mover and its starting means and also a compression reliefmechanism for an internal combustion engine serving as the prime mover,or adapted to control other mechanisms. The invention also contemplatesa construction of the contact points of the main switch element thatwill diminish the air gap between the opposing fixed pole pieces andprevent an unequal resistance and 'attraction due to such air gapbetween the movable contact and the respective pole pieces.

With these objects and others in view, my invention is embodied inpreferable form in the construction and arrangement hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the switchstructure and Fig. 2 a vertical section at right angles to Fig. 1 andFig. 3 a diagram.

Referring to the. drawings, the switch shown is adapted to be applied toautomat-ic power systems having one or more sources of electrical energyfrom one or more of which the current to the line is adapted to beseparately supplied according to the demands on the line.

In the drawings, 1 is a polarized relay having a series winding 2 on oneside of the main coil and responsive to the amount of current in theline and 3 is a shunt winding on the other side and responsive by thevoltage: The relay has a central core switch arm 4c in the form of alever which is fulcrumed at 6 and has its upper arm pro- Pate'nted Mar.2, 1920.

vided with a head 7 carrying a conducting contact 8 and idle contact 9and is provided vwith a lower threaded horizontal arm 10 on which isadjustably mounted a screw block 11 constituting a balance weight ofknown value and proportionate to a predetermmed electro-motive force.The contacts on the switch arm are adapted to make contact with eitherthe fixed conducting contact 12 carried by the pole piece 13 or with theblank face of the pole piece 14 which pole pieces are providedrespectively with gap bridging arms 15 and 16, extending horizontallytoward one another a'bove the movable contact head and which approachclosely for the purpose of diminishing the air gap between the polepieces so that when the movable contact head is attracted to one or theother of the fixed contacts, an inequality in the air gap between therespective pieces and the contact is prevented, the air gap distancebetween the poles remaining constant.

The fixed contact 12 is connected to a suitable exciting coil adapted tocontrol the supply from a suitable sounce of electrical energy.

The polarized. relay including its series and shunt winding 'constitutesa master switch which is operable by changes in cur* rent demand, on theline ora decrease in voltage in one of the sources of electrical energy.This switch and the auxiliary switch elements hereafter described aremounted in a shell 17 and are preferably carried by a commonl supportingand adjusting cage comprising four vertical rods 18 extendinglongitudinally of the shell and having continuous screw threads. By thisarrangement each switch element may be separately mounted o-n the rodsand readily adjusted in proper position and fixed in place by lock nuts.Below the master switch within the shell structure is mounted anauxiliary switch which in the particular use for which the invention isadvantageously adapted performs the function of and is start the primemover which consists preferably of an internal combustion engine. (Notshown.) Such auxiliary switch may, so far as the present invention isconcerne-d, perform any other controlling function. This switch consistsof a shunt wound solenoid 19, the winding of which is connected to theshunt winding of the polarized relay master switch. This solenoid has avertically movable core 2() provided at its upper end with a contact 21which is adapted to make and break circuit with fixed contacts 22mounted in the base plate of the master switch and which contacts may beconnected with the battery and through a suitable starter resistancewith the generator whereby the generator may be started as a motor, orsuch contacts may be connected with other elements to be controlled.

The movable core of the solenoid 19 is provided at its lower end with abutton 23 of non conducting material which is adapted, when the core isdepressed to separate the spring contacts 24 controlling a circuit whichmay be the engine ignition circuit and which button when raised by thelifting of the core, permits these contacts to spring together toestablish such circuit. This auxiliary shunt wound solenoid switch ismounted upon a base plate 25 of suitable non-conducting material.

Within the shell below the solenoid switch v 19 is mounted anotherauxiliary switch elellso ment which consists of a solenoid 26 having ashunt winding forming-part of the shunt winding of the polarized relayand which switch serves as a generator switch and may be adapted tobreak the circuit and thus effect the denergization of the firstauxiliary switch and the reverse operation of the master switch when thecurrent reverses and is directed from the generator. To this end thesolenoid of this switch is provided with a contact member 27 at itsupper end which is adapted to make and break circuit with a fixedcontact or contacts 28 mounted on the base plate 25 and which contactsare suitably connected with the generator and the battery. At its lowerend the core 27 is provided with a button 29 of non-conducting materialwhich is adapted to open or permit the closing of spring contacts 30 inthe circuit that has been referred to as the ignition circuit.

The construction and operation of this generator switch are utilized tocontrol the operation of a third auxiliary switch or circuit controllerwhich may be used to control the operation of a compression reliefmecha-y nism for the internal combustion engine or for other purposes,if desired. To this end the upper end of the core of the magnet 26 isprovided with a head 31 having a metallic contact member 32 and afibrous or other non-conducting member v33 below the contact head andwhich is adapted when the core is down to establish a circuit throughthe fixed spring contacts 34 mounted on the base plate 25 and thus shortcircuit the compression relief means or other element controlled by saidcircuit and to break the circuit through said cont-acts when the core islifted. f

Invthe operation of the switch, the circuit being established throughthe lesser unit of electrical energy which is preferably a storagebattery, the switch arm 4 of the polarized relay will be attracted tothe contact pole piece 14. When either the current demand on the line isincreased to a predetermined point so that the current passing throughthe dilferential series winding is sulicient in quantity to decrease theelectromagnetic force of the main poles of the relay or when the voltagein the battery is decreased below a predetermined point, the weight oflthe block 11 `which is equal in mechanical force to the magnetismproducedl by the electro-motive force of a predetermined number ofvolts, will overbalance the electro-motive force induced by the shuntwinding and cause the switch arm to move against the contact 12 excitingthe auxiliary solenoid switch 19 and lifting the core thereof andestablishing a circuit through the contacts 21, and also throughcontacts 24 and thus starting the generator as a motor in order to startthe gasolene engine. When the engine overruns the motor the latter willbecome a generator and the polarity of the master switchl will bereversed and the auxiliary solenoid switch 26 will then be excited so asto raise the core and close the circuits 30, denergize the firstauxiliary switch and establish the ignition circuit from the generatorindependently of the starter resistance, direct the current to the linefrom the generator, and also establish the separate contacts 34 to causethe compression relief mechanism to be closed whereupon the prime moverwill drive the generator and the same will supply current to the line.

When the current demand on the line falls below the predeterminedamount, the electro-motive force through the shunt winding of the pole14 will overbalance the weight of the block 10, attracting the switcharm to the pole piece 14 and reversing the operation of the switches soas to direct the current from the battery to the line and cut out thegenerator.

Having thus described I claim is:

1. An electric switch having opposed fixed pole pieces, a movablecontact member between the same, said pole pieces having nl eansbridging the air gap between said pieices and extending past the pointof contac 2. An electric switch having opposing my invention what xedpole pieces, a movable contact member mounted to move between the polepieces, the said pole pieces having extension members approaching oneanother and extending 45 beyond the point of contact to bridge the airgap.

3. A polarized relay having compound windings responsive to electromotive forces and a core lever provided with a contact on 10 one arm anda weight on the other arm, and

a fixed contact adapted to have connections with a source of energy.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand' and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana,

this 26th day of June',. A. D. nineteen hun- 15 dred and sixteen.

EDWARD B. REESE. Witnesses:

A. C. RICE, H. l?. Doom'rrLE.

